Over 45% of businesses don’t believe they’re on track to achieve net zero carbon, according to data gathered from RPS’ Net Zero Carbon Progress Check.
The digital tool, launched in April 2021, enables businesses to review their current net zero carbon position and helps determine how likely they are to achieve their carbon reduction targets before the 2050 deadline.
Since its launch, over 700 people have used the free Progress Check, answering a series of questions to assess where they are in their net zero carbon journey. Almost 20% of participants who took part were from the energy sector.
The data collected not only showed that 45% of participants believe their businesses were not on track to achieve net zero carbon, but that a further 38% said they were unsure if they’ll achieve net zero carbon by the deadline. Whilst 36% have no carbon reduction targets for the next 10 years. And a third of the participants (33%) don’t consider greenhouse emissions generated by their supply chain activities.
When asked about what they believed to be their top three emissions sources, the following were ranked the highest:
- Energy consumption (gas and fuel) – 72%
- Transport and business travel – 52%
- Purchased goods and services – 33%
Surprisingly, only 28% of participants had a focused strategy and target for reducing energy consumption, whilst 78% of participants were either looking at taking steps or not making any attempts to reduce emissions from transport and business travel or purchased goods and services.
“The fact that 36% of participants have no carbon reduction targets at all for the next ten years is extremely concerning”, comments Andrew Tasker, RPS’ Associate Director – EIA and Sustainability.
“It’s clear from the insights we’ve gathered that there’s a serious lack of knowledge when it comes to identifying and implementing solutions to tackle business emissions.
“Many participants question whether they have the right solutions to address their emissions. Whilst those that do have an awareness of what needs to be done, seem unsure of how to put things into practice.
“For those struggling to set out targets for reducing emissions, the best thing to do is seek advice. The longer they put off this inevitable task and delay making progress towards net zero carbon, the harder it will be to meet the government’s 2050 deadline.”
To help assist with your net zero carbon planning, access the RPS Net Zero Carbon Progress Checker here.
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